Protests in Kazakhstan

Relatives of Kazakhs arrested during the January protests have taken to the streets of Shymkent. The charges against their family members have prompted people to once again participate in rallies. They disagree with the stance of the law enforcement authorities. This has been reported by Orda.

After the January protests, several thousand people were detained in Kazakhstan, and criminal cases have been initiated against hundreds of individuals on charges of terrorism and extremism. The protesters do not consider their relatives to be criminals and demand their release. Some have shared their own versions of events regarding the detained individuals.

“My son is accused of being a terrorist for participating in these rallies; he is charged under a group article, but there is no evidence or facts at hand. They took him without any reason and put him behind bars. My son only filmed the protests. He is a blogger, he runs his own blog and makes a living from it, and that is how he supports me,” said one participant in the action.

“My son is charged with five articles, including Article 255 of the Criminal Code of Kazakhstan – 'Terrorism'. My son said that an investigator came to him with documents; he only managed to read the first lines, then they forced him to sign everything. We don’t even know what he signed. They are not following any laws or regulations at all,” said another mother of a detainee.